Mrs Beckett
by Diabolical Pink Bunny
Summary: Season 6, Episode 6: Carson and Duncan Beckett are both finally married. But instead of going on honeymoon, the two men and their new wives are busy with a vigil next to the sick-bed of someone they all love - even if it meant having to eat haggis from time to time.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

For a moment Laura Cadman lay with her eyes closed, taking in the incredible silence of Atlantis. Having grown up in a number of different towns and cities, as well as having served in such far-off places as the Gulf back on earth, she was familiar with the idea that there really wasn't anywhere one could go that there was complete silence. Even in the desert on earth there had been the constant sound of the wind and sand. In the cities she had lived in as a child, she had often lain awake like this and listened to the never-silent night. Even late at night there would have been the sound of cars and busses, of people walking by on the street and someone, somewhere playing their music. When her family had moved to the country she had realised that the night there was just as busy as in the city, only with different sounds. At night there would be the sound of wind and the rustle of the leaves on the large tree outside her window. A family of night-time birds had had a nest in that tree and she would hear them sing to one another during the summer months.

But here on Atlantis the silence was complete, almost oppressive. Even though their room was in the spire where a great number of the inhabitants lived, the city slept this time of night. Only a few members of the control-room crew would be awake and they were far enough removed that she would not be able to hear them. Perhaps once, when the city had been home to millions of people had it been possible that the city was never really quiet. But even with the people they had brought from earth and the children from M7G-677 the city was scarcely populated. Also, the city was submerged, which meant she was denied even the sound of the surf and the wind.

After a moment's silent reflection she realised the string of beads she wore in her hair had ended up under her cheek and was making her uncomfortable. With a finger she hooked the string under her face and pulled it out, thankful for the small sound the beads made as they tapped against one another. She was one of the few that already had her entire collection of beads – such as it were for the moment. After the ceremony on the Assembly Pier a few months back, where everyone had chucked their flag patches and ID tags, they needed something else for identification. It was Sophia, the jeweller, who had pointed out that they already had a system in place for such identification. That night on the Assembly Pier everyone had been given a blue crystal bead (which she and her two young assistants had made). Atlantis also had the ability to grow new crystal as well as the ability to program those crystals, seeing as Atlantis ran on crystal technology. So why not grow crystals that can function as ID tags?

This was why Sophia had been busy growing some interesting crystals these past few months. The crystals were grown in a number of different colours, depending on what each person did on Atlantis. Among the first grown were the black crystal beads the off-world teams wore. Those beads not only served as an ID, but also as an IDC and homing beacon when activated. Laura, as one of the women that had been on Athos (the new one) with Torren's party, had a third bead on her string, along with the black team-bead and the blue Atlantis-bead: a glossy brown wooden bead in remembrance of that night. The only problem was that, though she had received her black bead, Laura wasn't allowed off Lantea. After Elizabeth had realised quite a number of her SGA-team members were pregnant, she had taken a very obstinate view: if you're pregnant, you're grounded. And though a number of the SGA-team members had complained to Colonel Sheppard about it, including Laura and Anne Teldy, he had simply folded his arms and told them he was supporting Elizabeth. Already Atlantis was down 3 SGA-teams, but the leaders of their world were adamant. Even Rodney seemed happy about the idea, the traitor!

Turning around, she realised that the spot next to her was empty. Little wonder the silence seemed so complete: Carson was not in bed with her. She loved the man with her whole heart, but she would be the first to admit he was a noisy sleeper. Besides having a constant rumble, he would also at times speak in his sleep. Apparently Duncan did the same and she and Jennifer Keller would often compare notes on those night-time conversations: to the extreme irritation of the Becketts.

Reaching out a hand she felt spot beside her was cold, meaning he had been gone for a while. She wondered why he hadn't wakened her when he had gotten up. With a slight frown she flipped onto her back, these days the only really comfortable position for her anyway. She and Carson might both be responsible for the making of the little bundle of bloody joy, but she was the one with the expanding waistline. She knew that when the baby was born she would love it dearly – even now she was awed by the idea of life inside her. But that was the problem: she was the one with the belly and the morning sickness and the cravings and Elizabeth telling her she wasn't going anywhere until the kid was safely delivered.

Grinning in the darkness, she tried to imagine Carson with a baby in his arms. He was going to make a great dad, she just knew.

Suddenly her empty bed and silent room seemed unbearably lonely. Quickly she got up and put on a track suit. Slipping her feet into soft slippers she made her way to the one place Carson would have gone this time of night.

As she entered the infirmary she saw the rumpled head she had been looking for sitting bent over the bed of the sick woman. For a moment she merely stood looking at him, somehow afraid to interrupt. She knew, though, that he would be grateful for the company, so she silently padded over to where he sat.

"Carson?" she softly whispered as she drew near. The man looked up and around at the soft voice behind him. "Oh, Duncan," she amended. Though she could tell the two men apart even before they had gotten their rather ridiculous tattoos, she had to admit she had to see their faces in order to do so. "Have you seen my husband?" she softly asked her brother-in-law – if indeed that was what he was. Technically he wasn't, but nobody was really sure what else to make of the situation, so thinking of him and Carson as twins seemed the easiest.

Duncan smiled slightly. "He's over in the lab trying something I've already tried," he told her. She returned his small smile. Though Carson and Duncan were technically the same person until about two years ago, they had worked hard on creating some subtle differences. Duncan was the one that would often make the more biting comments. She would often see the same thought had occurred to her husband, but in their very complicated relationship, Carson would bite back the comment the same way Duncan would often refrain from making the nice comment. Duncan was also sometimes given to slight self-doubt. She supposed it had something to do with the fact that he had been left on his own for so long, only to find nobody had been looking for him.

Sometimes Laura wondered exactly how much Carson and Duncan were still the same. Could it be that she and Jennifer loved interchangeable men? She hoped not, but still refused to pursue that thought too far. For now she was happy with the way things were, even if they were very strange. After all, though he shared the same memories as Carson up until about three years back, Duncan was only about two years old. And, according to earth, he did not exist. But then again she did not really blame earth for not understanding. Often she wondered how their strange situation could ever be explained.

As to that, theirs was not really an isolated situation, was it? Lantea was a world packed full of the unexplainable and weird. Their situation was unique, but not rare. There was also Sitnalta, who, though not a clone, had been created through similar technology. The young woman was only a year or so older than Duncan, after all. And of course there was Elizabeth that ran on nanites, Teyla who was part Wraith and Ronon for whom no explanation as of yet has been found. Doctor McKay had almost ascended and once – for a few hours – Colonel Sheppard had lost his hand. Jennifer had almost changed into a Wraith ship (they think) and Laura self had been on Atlantis less than a week when she had been forced to spend a few days inside Rodney's mind. In fact, come to think of it, the only peculiar thing on Lantea was if nothing peculiar hadn't happened to you yet.

Just then her husband of only two days came in, looking tired. He, like the rest of the medical staff, still only wore the single blue bead. Well, except Jennifer, who also had a brown bead. In time, though, they would receive various shades of yellow beads, with the three doctors' the palest shade. Carson brightened when he saw her.

"Hey, love," he greeted her before kissing her lightly on the forehead. "Sorry I didn't wake you, but with the little one you need all the sleep you can get," he tiredly explained her unspoken question of earlier. Worry lines creased his forehead and made him look old. She hated seeing those lines. He was a man only married two days ago. He – and, admittedly, quite a number of the Atlanteans – were supposed to be on their honeymoon. Most of them were. Only Carson, Duncan and their new wives were not off to some remote spot on the mainland. The one behind the idea of the mass wedding had been – of all people – Colonel Sheppard. Lantea's rotation was slightly longer than that of earth, making the Lantean year longer by three days. Before, when they had been worried about going back to earth, they had maintained a synchronous calendar with that planet. Now they had added those three days to February, suddenly making it one of the long months (they no longer celebrated leap year, though). Today, by all calendars, was the 16th of February. A few weeks ago, when Sheppard had realised Valentine's Day was looming on the horison, he had suggested that those who still wanted to get married before the babies arrived could get married on that day. Many had agreed, especially Elizabeth and Teyla. For the past few months the two women had been tasked with marrying people and they had finally reached a point where it was no longer something they wanted to do. A mass wedding had solved that problem. The two Becketts had gotten hitched on that day as well.

"How is she?" she asked her new husband. His eyes seemed to hang even more as he went to stand next to Duncan at the bed.

"We think it might have been something she'd been exposed to in the food at our wedding," he sadly remarked. Gently he stroked the woman's forehead. "We're just happy nobody else got sick," he added.

Laura felt she could burst with biting back the thought that had entered her mind. At the wedding, at the insistence of the Becketts, traditional haggis had been served. If the patient had been anyone else, she would have made some quip about it being that pale gray disgusting dish.

She suddenly realised Carson was looking at her with a slight smile, his head tilted slightly down as if trying to hide that smile. "Oh, you might as well say it," he told her. "Ronon was in here earlier and he'd had no problem telling us it had been the haggis that did it," he explained. "Seeing as nobody else ate of it."

"And I'm sure McKay had started to say the same thing before Sheppard had hit him behind the head," Duncan added with a grin identical to Carson's. Laura smiled at them.

"Well, then I guess I needn't repeat it," she smoothly informed them.

The Becketts frowned at her. "We've tested it, you know, and the poor haggis was innocent," Carson explained. "There was nothing in there that shouldn't be," he added.

Laura wondered at that. She – like many of the inhabitants – had tried the dish before, usually with the familiar buddy-chant of "down, down, down!" Always a sure sign that it had been because of a stupid dare nobody was brave enough not to weasel out of. After just one taste she had been convinced that _nothing_ in that dish actually belonged there.

She looked at the woman on the bed, wondering what was going through the men's minds. She had come to love the lady as much as the men did, but she knew it was different for them.

Finally she looked at them. "If not the haggis, then what?" she wondered.

This time Duncan answered. "We just don't know."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_About seven months ago..._

Laura stood to one side of the relatively small crowd gathered on the south pier. It was about midnight and she was part of a small group of people entrusted with the information that within four days they would be stealing the largest ever technological find and returning to the Pegasus galaxy. Elizabeth and Woolsey were explaining to the assembled group about Sitnalta dying because she was connected to Atlantis in some way and how this meant Atlantis was dying. Also, it seemed Woolsey was deliberately standing back as he had explained he was officially handing the city over to doctor Weir. Well, truth is, Laura could never see Woolsey fitting in within the world of Atlantis in the first place, but in the end the fussy little man had surprised all of them. Or perhaps the truth is that Atlantis had surprised them: Woolsey had joined the expedition with every intention of turning it around to SGC standards, but in the end Atlantis had changed him to fit _them_.

Or, perhaps, Atlantis had changed everyone to fit _her_. Laura shrugged as she decided it did not matter. What did matter was whether she would be going with Atlantis when they left four days from now. Well, she had to admit that to some extent she had made that choice four years ago. When she had returned home from war four years ago, she had been shocked to find her mother was dying and nobody had informed her. Her father should have alerted the Marine Corps to the situation so that she could come home. But in that bull-headed stoic way her parents tended to display their patriotism, both of them had refused to let her 'leave off on a mission for something like this,' as her mom had explained on her death-bed. Laura loved her parents, but somehow she wondered if they did not love the idea of her being a marine more. The day she had been accepted to the Corps might have been the single most memorable day for her parents. And though she loved them very much, the day after her mother's funeral she had gone looking for an assignment as far away from home as she could find. As luck would have it, that mission had presented itself in the form of Atlantis. And one did not volunteer for Atlantis if one ever really thought one would ever go home.

Scanning the crowd, her eyes fell on Jennifer Keller. The young woman was standing with her arm hooked into Duncan's. These past few months she had come to know the woman a lot better. In many ways she considered the child-woman her sister and she was sure that, given the choice, she would gladly stay on Atlantis. After all, many of them had lived through some horrific experiences, only to return to the Pegasus galaxy. Besides, Jennifer's dad had been her entire life, but he had died only a short while ago, leaving Jennifer without family on earth. To her the relationship with Duncan was all she had left.

And Duncan was one of those who would never really be able to return to earth – such as his case might be.

As Woolsey continued talking in that formal way of his, Laura made her way over towards the couple standing close together. Carson, her Carson, was in the infirmary, looking after Sitnalta. When she had been informed to saunter over to the south pier if she wanted to be given an alternative to whatever assignment the SGC had in store for her, Carson had informed her he already knew what it was about and thus would stay with Sitnalta while she went to the meeting.

When she reached Jennifer and Duncan, she asked the question that was slowly making its way around the pier: "So, will you stay on earth or leave with Atlantis?" Around her the question seemed to become a whispered chant: _am I leaving or am I staying_?

Duncan smiled at her and she suspected he had known about this intended _coup_ for at least as long as Carson had. "Aye, well, I don't really have a future here on earth, now do I?" he wryly commented. There was a world of hurt within his eyes as he said that and Jennifer put her head on his shoulder in support.

"I suppose Atlantis is my home now," the young blonde replied and Laura assumed both their answers meant they would be leaving with Atlantis. It struck her as strange how all three of them had decided to leave with Atlantis when the time came after only about half an hour's consideration.

"I'm leaving as well," Laura told them. Then she frowned. "I wonder what Carson has decided," she added. It suddenly occurred to her she had just assumed he would be leaving as well.

Duncan put a hand on her shoulder as he smiled that reassuring smile he shared with her lover. "I don't know, but I can assure you that, when he joined the expedition five years ago, he had already considered the fact that he might never return to earth again. Back then he had decided to take his chances with the Pegasus Galaxy."

She nodded and as the three of them stood together, listening to the questions of those assembled on the pier, she wondered how it could be that so many people could consider leaving earth forever? Should their planet of birth not mean more to them than this?

#####

Laura smiled as she heard Jennifer's plan unfold. It was nearly two days since they had been told about the _coup_ and by now many people had already decided upon their future and had gone in search of a way to take their loved ones with them. All of them had been granted the opportunity to seek out any relative they thought might want to leave with Atlantis before the end of the third day and bring them to Atlantis. Yesterday Laura had gone to see her father, but she never even got so far as to tell him about Atlantis, never mind asking him to join her in another galaxy. Her parental home was one of large American flags and trophies and her father could not stop talking about how proud he was of her for fighting for her country every day. She had known then it would break his heart if he knew she had deserted not only the USA, but also earth and their galaxy. He could not understand and never would. So she had told him she had to go on an assignment and had kissed him on the cheek and had left forever. She would never know if she had done the right thing, she only knew she had done the best she could.

Back on Atlantis she had sought comfort from Carson and he had held her tightly and told her he loved her and had assured her he would be leaving with Atlantis as well. He reminded her that once before they had all been set off Atlantis and those months had been the worst of his life. Then he had kissed her on the lips and had turned to check on the dying Sitnalta. Laura had seen something was bothering him, but had been unable to get anything out of him and had left after a while.

But now it seems Jennifer had been able to get from Duncan what she had not been able to pry out of Carson: the reason why both Becketts walked around the city with identical looks of sadness. She also seemed to have come up with the perfect way to make it all better.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Elizabeth rested her head on her fist, her elbow on her desk, as she scrolled down the document on her laptop. The document, drawn up by Chuck, contained the problem areas, complaints and grievances of the week that needed her attention. It was a longish list, although, admittedly, since they had gotten rid of Peter Kavanagh the 'grievances' part of the list had shrunk to merely a single entry. The grievance concerned the heavy-handed authority of Rodney in the main lab and this was only because SGA-1 had not been on a trip through the stargate in a few days. As soon as she could get McKay off Atlantis on a trip, the complaint will disappear. Although, she had to admit, most of the labbies respected Rodney enough to ignore his abrasive manner. It was just in times when there had not been some major crisis on Atlantis itself that they tend to forget how much they love him. A crisis would solve the problem as easily, but she was not about to pull the entire city into trouble just to soothe a lab tech with ruffled feathers.

She reflected that when she had originally signed up for this mission, this had not been the idea she had concerning her duties. She had imagined a lot more exploring and adventure. Yet, though they were a community of less than a thousand people, she seemed to be constantly bogged down by the responsibilities of making sure everyone did their share. Fortunately the people she had chosen to join the mission from the start were self-sufficient enough not to need much attention. But they made out only a small part of the community by now and though everyone embraced the idea of being Atlantean, they were of such diverse cultures it sometimes seemed impossible to manage.

The list seemed endless, but within an hour or so she had managed to solve most of the problems. Fortunately she could delegate most of the work these days. Military issues were referred to John, science problems to Rodney (except the labbie complaint about Rodney) and any issues concerning off-world trade and farming to Teyla. In the big scheme of things, Teyla functioned more like a vice-president than anything else and Elizabeth was thinking about making it official that should anything happen to her, Teyla should be left in charge. Of course John would still maintain the authority to invoke martial law when needed. Medical matters were referred to Carson.

On the list of those working under her another name had proven to be invaluable to the budding community. Though Keras was by nature a soft-spoken, friendly man, he was turning out to be an excellent leader and had taken responsibility for those working as artisans in Atlantis. Basically he made sure those who were not military, scientific or farming were kept happy. He now lived permanently on Atlantis, but as one of the first not-earth humans to successfully receive the ATA gene therapy, he spent quite a lot of time shuttling between Atlantis and Athosia in his puddle jumper. Also, his romance with the jeweller Sophia was flourishing and Elizabeth suspected he might be planning on making their arrangement more permanent.

A short report on the patient currently in the infirmary by Jennifer Keller caused her to pause for a moment. She hardly knew the woman, yet she knew how much she meant not only to Carson and Duncan, but also to Jennifer and Laura, the two new brides.

"Doctor Weir, you'd better come hear this," Chuck suddenly interrupted her work. She looked up to find him standing in the doorway to her office, an easy excitement about him. He was another one of those unplanned treasures. Though she had originally selected him for the Atlantis mission in order to work as gate technician, he had adopted a new role all on his own. Amelia was training one of the kids from M7G-677 as a technician and already the young man, Beril, was proving to be a real whiz. This left Chuck with some time on hands and he had opted to adopt Elizabeth as his boss: though a trained technician, he now acted more like her PA than anything else. Elizabeth was only too happy about the situation.

"What is it?" she asked Chuck even as she got up from behind her desk. As her PA he took his job seriously and would not bother her unless the situation really required her attention. She joined him at the door where he stood waiting.

"A young woman dialled the gate, using the IDC we gave Draven Navac a few weeks ago," he started his explanation as they made their way down the short corridor to the control room.

"It would not be the first Satedans to make contact with us," she gently prodded. Of the group called 'the Fourty' that had served under Draven Navac, two teams had already joined the Atlanteans, bringing the total of Satedans in the city to eight; not including Ronon. Though Satedan by birth, he had given his loyalty to Atlantis and now considered himself to be Atlantean. He also wore the blue bead in his hair, not the dark brown one of the Satedans. Another group wanting to come here hardly merited her attention, though.

Chuck nodded as he came to a stop next to Amelia, who was also regarding her with wide eyes. "Yes, but this woman said she would only talk to either you or her brother," he informed her; piquing her curiosity. She was also aware that he was drawing out the moment to its full dramatic potential. He took a breath. "She says her name is Ella Dex," he finally dropped the other shoe.

She lifted an eyebrow. "Dex?" she asked. "As in Ronon Dex?" she made sure. Chuck nodded.

It was Amelia that answered from behind her consol. "I didn't even know he had a sister," she remarked. Elizabeth looked at her and smiled slightly.

"Considering what we don't know about Ronan, I'm not surprised." She turned to look at the swirling blue gate, almost as if she could see through it to the woman on the other side. "Have you managed to contact Ronan yet," she asked either Amelia or Chuck over her shoulder without looking at either; her attention still focussed on the floor below.

"Colonel Sheppard informed us they would be out of range of the gate on their side for a few hours," Chuck carefully answered. She turned to look at the young man.

"And why wasn't I informed about this?" she demanded. Perhaps the one thing she would not delegate or be flexible about was the status of her SGA teams. If even one of them suffered a stubbed toe that prevented them from returning within the allotted time, she wanted to know immediately. When the team concerned was SGA-1 the rule counted doubly. Not only was her husband on that team, but also two of her leaders.

Behind Chuck Amelia punched his leg. "I told you we needed to tell her," she informed Chuck, who stood there looking guilty.

"Next time, I want to know as soon as a SGA team reports in, understood?" she firmly told the two technicians. Both hastily told her they understood. With a final glance at them, she turned her attention back to the stargate. "Why hasn't Ella Dex come through the stargate?" she wanted to know. Just as she spoke the familiar _shoop_ resounded through the room and the gate disengaged. Now she only had a darkened ring to stare at. She frowned; turning her body slightly towards the two technicians as she spoke. "What happened?"

"Ella Dex says she will only speak to you or Ronon and she won't come to Atlantis until she has spoken to either of you. In fact," Chuck continued and she turned to look at him because of his tone. His tone was worried. "She gave us coordinates for a planet and told us to meet her there within the next few hours." He looked at Amelia for a moment. "We still couldn't reach Ronon and she will leave if he doesn't go there."

Elizabeth stared at the young man; trying to determine if that was the totality of the news they had to give her. Apparently they had, as they both looked away and at the dark gate. Also, a plan was forming in her head. Knowing their reaction, she smiled at them in a slightly conspiratorial way. "Lorne's team is on Atlantis, aren't they?" she asked while knowing full well the truth. Neither Lorne nor his team had been married the previous day and they were put on alert for just such an occasion. At the moment they were probably off showing the two Satedan teams around the city. Apparently John had convinced the Satedans that they were to team up with existing SGA teams and were at first going to be responsible for the security of the city.

"Doctor Weir," Chuck frowned at her. "You are going to get yelled at," he warned as he apparently understood the plan Elizabeth was about to propose. Elizabeth lowered her head to regard the young man.

"If that is indeed Ronon's sister, we need to get her to Atlantis before she disappears," she stated the fact hanging between them. "If that means I need to go meet her somewhere, then that is a risk we will have to take," she added.

"Colonel Sheppard won't like it," Amelia added with a frown of her own. Since he had heard he was to become a dad and had married Elizabeth, John had become a very responsible spouse and a bit of a worry-wat. Ironically, the greatest part of Atlantis seemed to worry along with him over his wife and unborn child. It drove Elizabeth up the walls even as it made her feel the one thing she had thought she would not find: contentment. Her days were busy and long and she suddenly found herself married and pregnant and she had never been happier or more content in her life. She just sometimes wished everyone would first listen to her and then worry about what John will say.

"This is something we need to do," she told them even if she knew she did not need to explain her decision to them.

Amelia and Chuck looked at one another with pained expressions. Then Chuck looked at her while Amelia looked down at her control panel. "I know," he finally said. Then he sighed and straightened his back. "But I'm coming with," he informed her. She decided she might as well allow him to go with her and nodded.

"I'm going to change," she informed them before turning and heading towards her room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_About seven months ago..._

In the end they took Chuck with them. There wasn't really a good reason why they did, except perhaps that conspiracies such as this did not seem complete with only two conspirators. Okay, so 'conspiracy' was perhaps too strong a word for what they were doing. Though they were scheming together and would be doing something in secret, their plan lacked something the best laid conspiracies did: an evil ending. Their plot was for the best of intentions and did only in secret because failure would hurt those who knew about it. The less people knew about the scheme, the less people would get hurt.

As the puddle jumper glided through the upper levels of the atmosphere, Laura wondered at the reason for bringing Chuck along. It wasn't that they needed him to pilot the jumper: Laura could do that. And it wasn't exactly as if they were going to ambush a Wraith ship, so she and Jennifer hardly needed the back-up. Yet, even as they had discussed their plans in the quiet of the infirmary, they had known the plot would be incomplete without an accomplice. And the chosen candidate had turned out to be Chuck. Okay, he was their friend and they both seem to feel towards him as a brother. Perhaps that was it: though he was cute enough, Chuck was safe. He was a friend and confidant and often seemed more like one of the 'girls' than anything else. Not that he was gay, to be fair. It was just that not once had either of them felt the slightest pang of attraction towards him. And, of course, there was always his incredible loyalty towards Atlantis. From the start he had been one of the first to proclaim his intention of joining the conspirators (those who planned to steal Atlantis from the IOA, and for them the term 'conspiracy' was apt) in the Pegasus galaxy. Yet Laura sometimes wondered if his loyalty was really to Atlantis, or to the leaders of Atlantis. She suspected he somehow saw Elizabeth and Colonel Sheppard as a kind of king and queen that had been placed under a curse of some kind. Only in this fantasy the magical kingdom was Atlantis, the evil sorcerer had been that Replicator guy and the curse the nanites. In all honesty it was a nice fantasy and one almost worth fighting for. She knew, though, that their king and queen had better sort out their differences/curse before too long, or it would become rather tiresome and the sparkle of it will fade; almost like a series that has gone on too long without ever going anywhere.

Laura suddenly realised that the only light inside the jumper was that from its internal lighting: the jumper had rounded the curve of the earth and had left daylight behind. Usually they would have planned the trip so that the eight hours difference would not be a problem, but they had less than twenty-four hours before said king and queen (and their lackey Rodney) intended to steal the space-city and they would need every moment of those hours to pull off their scheme.

"They didn't really give us much time to prepare," Jennifer spoke the thought that had been in Laura's mind. Smiling at her probably-soon-to-be-sister-in-law, Laura nodded.

"Yeah, but do you really want Atlantis to become the victim of someone like Kavanagh?" she asked. These past few weeks the scientist had been pissing her – and most other people – off in spades. In fact, the only reason she hadn't Wraith-stunned his ass was because Doctor Lee of the SGC had confided in her that it was a spectacular sight to see Kavanagh pass out from fear. So since then she had been attempting to do just that; a petty distraction, but a needed one.

To this statement Jennifer shrugged, but she grinned as well. "I never really believed the stories everyone told about him until last month," she admitted. "Now I'm more than convinced and would be happy to stand in the long line of those wanting to shoot him. I'll even doctor him to health in between shots just so that we can do it all over again," she gleefully added and Chuck laughed out loud from where he was piloting the jumper.

"I never knew you were so bloodthirsty," he exclaimed with glee. Jennifer looked slightly abashed.

"Well, I wouldn't _really_ break my Hippocratic oath like that," she quickly amended. Chuck laughed even more and she blushed. "No!" she exclaimed as she realised what that must have sounded like. "I wouldn't _shoot_ him, but I would try and heal him," she explained, making Laura laugh as well. Jennifer pouted. "Fine, have it your way," she finally mumbled, but Laura could see she wanted to laugh as well.

"Don't worry, we'll never tell," Laura commented. Jennifer smiled sweetly.

"Oh, thank you very much," she commented just as Chuck called up a street-plan of the town they were hovering over on the HUD. In the tradition of real geekdom, Chuck really loved playing with the Head's-Up Display of the jumper.

"Where do you want me to put this baby down?" he asked of the women, turning his head in their direction but not taking his eyes from the display for a single moment.

Both Laura and Jennifer leaned over to look at the intricate map displayed in front of them, obscuring the lights of the small town outside. According to the HUD, they were hovering just a few feet above the highest building.

"Well," Jennifer said as she leaned over and touched a point on the HUD map, "this is where we're heading," she told them Laura had no reason to doubt her. Though neither Duncan nor Carson had visited here, Laura had made a point of getting Duncan to tell her where they needed to go. The weird part was that Duncan did not even suspect. Whereas everyone always suspected Laura of plotting something, Jennifer could ask the same questions in that little-girl voice of hers and nobody would even think to wonder about her sincerity. Not even Duncan, who had been dating her for nearly a year now, ever suspected. "We can't park the jumper in the middle of the street, though," the blonde doctor added. "I would suggest you put down here," she decided as she pointed to another spot on the HUD. "I think it's a small park just outside town. We can walk from there."

Chuck agreed and moments later they set down on what indeed turned out to be a small park, but not one entirely outside of town. On their left the rest of the town ended, but to their right lights came from a very modern, ugly building. Judging by the people gathered outside it, it was a night-club of some kind. It even had a number of taxis parked outside, waiting to transport young people back home sometime in the dark hours of the night.

"Or we could take a taxi," Laura happily exclaimed. In all the years they had been going through the gate, it had become a standard joke that the first town was always just a few brisk miles' walk uphill from the gate. A taxi would be a nice alternative, especially as it was raining like crazy outside.

"That would be great, except how would we explain our military dress to the cabby?" Chuck asked.

"Um," Jennifer drew their attention with a soft sound. "I might be new at this perhaps, but did any of you bring any money with them?" she carefully asked.

"I've got a few dollar," Chuck piped up, but then an awful silence descended upon the group. "Um..." he finally tried again. "I don't suppose they use American dollars over here, do they?" he finally added and Laura grimaced. Life on Atlantis had spoiled them. Though they regularly went all over the galaxy, they never took any money with them. What would be the use, after all? And most of their trips from Atlantis these past few weeks had been to parties and stuff, where they had not needed wallets and things as mundane as cash. Then another thought struck her.

"Did any of you bring your passports?" she wondered. She frowned. "In fact, I think mine expired last year," she worriedly added.

"Well, we are Americans," Jennifer tried to cheer them up. "Besides, we won't really need any identification, as we're not going to stay in a hotel or something," she happily added, but Chuck and Laura frowned.

"Cool, but without cash and without identification we're going to have to walk," he informed them and the inside of the jumper fell into an uncomfortable silence. They were, compared to where they had been these past few years, basically on their own doorstep, yet they had already forgotten some of the rules of the game. Laura knew that had they set out in civvies, they would have remembered their wallets and stuff. But they had all felt this was a mission to be performed not only as individuals, but as representatives of Atlantis. She knew for a fact she had two bars of chocolate, a power bar and a bottle of water on her, as well as numerous other items always packed for a mission through the gate. Unfortunately they hadn't gone through the gate, but had flown to Scotland.

"Why is it that I feel more at home in the Pegasus galaxy than here in another English-speaking country back on good old earth?" Chuck mused. He sighed. "Okay, I can still try and land us closer to the..."

"No!" Laura exclaimed. "We're breaching enough protocols here as it is," she interrupted her friend. "We'll walk," she adamantly informed them and both Chuck and Jennifer sighed as they exchanged a look. Then Jennifer shrugged and patted Laura on the shoulder.

"As you wish, big sis," she sweetly agreed and Laura thought she would gladly Wraith-stun the other woman along with Kavanagh at that moment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The planet Elizabeth, SGA-2 and Chuck found themselves on the moment they stepped through the gate was shrouded in darkness. As they had come prepared for any eventuality, they quickly put on their night vision goggles. Well, that is: everyone except Elizabeth. With a frown she looked at the five men surrounding her like an honour guard.

"Surely it's not that dark?" she asked of them, wondering why they were all wearing their goggles. Though the light was dim, she could see quite clearly. It was no darker than the average full moon night on earth.

"It's dark, all right," one of Lorne's men, the scientist Parish, told her. She was not overly fond of the hyper-active man and she was not even sure why Lorne had requested the scientist to be on his team, seeing as every report had indicated that the two of them had not gotten on when they had been on the planet where they had found Ronon.

Looking around her at the starlit field Elizabeth realised why she was able to see and they not: those damn nanites. "Well, I'm sure John will be happy with the news," she muttered to herself. As if she really needed another reason to be worried about the babies she carried.

"Ma'am?" Lorne asked in that formal way of his and she smiled at him in answer. No need to freak him out even more than he already was. As she had suspected, the entire SGA-2 had not been happy with the knowledge that they were to escort her through the gate. They had not balked at the order, but she could see they were considering their fate when they got back to Atlantis. Well, they were marines: they could tough it out.

"Any life-signs?" she asked in reply, indicating the LSR (it used to be Life-Signs Detector, until someone pointed out the unfortunate abbreviation; now they referred to it as a Life-Signs Reader) Lorne was holding. In the classic way the teams had of simultaneously holding the P-90 and the LSR, Lorne looked like a clown trying unsuccessfully to juggle. The P-90 really did not leave one a free hand to use.

Lorne turned a couple of times as he tried to get his bearings. With her nanite-enhanced vision she could see there were no visible landmarks and she knew they would be strongly relying on the LSR to get them back to the gate. The entire area around the gate was completely bereft of any vegetation or landmarks. It was merely a flat expanse of dark rock that seemed to go on forever in every direction. It was perhaps one of the scariest places she had ever seen.

"There's a number of blips in that direction," Lorne finally replied as he stood facing back the way they had come. Elizabeth also turned to look in the direction he was looking, but even with her enhanced vision she couldn't see any people.

"Exactly what do you mean by 'a number of blips'?" she asked the team leader of SGA-2. She knew Lorne as well as most of the other team leaders, yet she did not know him well enough to be familiar with his idea of 'a number of blips.'

Lorne leaned over slightly so she could see the LSR he was holding in his one hand; looking slightly ridiculous. "The life signs are too far away for the LSR to show every individual," he explained.

"So there could be five or there could be twenty," Elizabeth clarified and Lorne looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, I've also found a number of rock formations that emit energy readings comparable to those the LSR reads as life signs," Parish piped up and Elizabeth raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"Yes, I've read the report," she informed him. Then she tilted her head slightly in the direction of 'the number of blips.' "But let's go find out if these blips aren't the people we've been expecting," she informed him. Years ago she had learned the trick of giving an order that sounded like a suggestion, but wasn't. Nobody ever questioned those suggestions.

"My money is on those being people, not rocks," Chuck piped up behind her as they set out in the direction indicated on the LSR. Lorne held the small device, provided by the puddle jumper, in front of him like an ancient relic. Well, at least the 'ancient' part of it was correct. But these past few years she, and most of the Atlanteans, has been disillusioned in their awe towards the Ancients. Once, Elizabeth had dreamt of nothing so much as meeting the people that had built the stargates. Now, with a few years and an equal amount of bad meetings with them, she hoped never to lay eyes on them again. Though they were technologically advanced, they were arrogant and enormously stuck-up on their own importance.

"I wouldn't take that bet," Lorne replied. "One of those blips just detached themselves from the rest and is heading this way."

With those words, the men surrounding Elizabeth became even more alert. With the exception of Lorne, who was holding the LSR, everyone had their P-90's firmly gripped in both hands and was walking in that weird crab-like way she knew they had when they tried to make themselves smaller targets. She, on the other hand, did not carry a gun. Instead she walked in the centre of the group with head held high. With her newly discovered enhanced vision, she was starting to make out the shape of the person coming their way. Though the person was too far away to determine anything about them, she was sure it was a woman. The way the person walked reminded her of the way Teyla walked: like a warrior, but a warrior with hips.

After a while even the men were able to see the figure approaching them, and by then Elizabeth was sure it was a woman. Another minute brought the Atlanteans and the woman together. Both the Atlantean party and the woman stopped a few feet away from each other, boldly assessing one another. From her spot in the middle of the five men, Elizabeth could clearly see the woman, but knew the other's view of her was slightly obstructed. Until Lorne and his team was sure the stranger wasn't a threat, that would be the way it stayed, she knew.

The woman opposite the group was slightly older than Elizabeth, perhaps in her early forties, with wide shoulders and an overall look of a female Viking warrior.

"Ella Dex?" Elizabeth finally asked; unwilling to let the silence continue any longer.

The woman shook her head. "My name is Farna Mase," she replied. She was looking directly at Elizabeth as she spoke. "You were told Ella would only speak to you or Ronon," she accused. "You are Doctor Weir, aren't you?"

Elizabeth lowered her chin, unwilling to let this Amazon intimidate her. "I am Elizabeth Weir, yes," she informed Farna. "As it is quite obvious that Ella did not deem it important enough to come alone to this meeting, it would seem only fair that I bring my own escort as well," she loftily told her. She would be damned if this woman would dictate the terms of this meeting. As Ronon's sister, Elizabeth was willing to give Ella the benefit of the doubt, but this woman was merely annoying her.

Instead of continuing to look formidable, Farna suddenly smiled. "Draven's pet told us you were not easy to manipulate," she informed the group at large and Elizabeth wondered at the peculiar phrase referring to Draven Navac. She had assumed these people would be friends of his, but this woman did not seem to be overly fond of the leader of The Forty. With the same smile she held out her hands towards Elizabeth. Cradled within it was a weapon like the one Ronon carried. "Ella wishes you to have this," she announced.

This was not what Elizabeth had had in mind when they had come here. With some trepidation she looked at the gun, then at Farna. Her eyes then quickly travelled to the men around her, only to find all of them looking back at her. When her eyes met Lorne's he merely shrugged. Obviously the next move was hers.

Stepping out from between the two men in front of her, Lorne and his second in command, Lieutenant Harold Sherman – both of whom stepped slightly aside and mostly lowered their guns – she reached out and took the weapon from the large, strong woman. "Thank you," she said and inclined her head slightly. "But we didn't come here to be bribed," she added for good measure.

Farna laughed: a loud and booming laugh that had her throwing her head back in mirth. When she had finished she turned and gestured for them to follow. "Come, Ella will like you," she added by way of an invitation. And so the seven of them, SGA-2, Elizabeth, Lorne and Farna, set off in the direction from which the other woman had come. The trek took another half an hour, but finally the terrain started to offer a few scattered boulders. It was on one of these large boulders that they found the rest of the group waiting for them. At the front was another woman, this one hardly more than a girl and Elizabeth immediately knew her to be Ella Dex. Though she didn't resemble Ronon at all, she had the same way of looking at one as did her brother. Also, she had a similar head of dreadlocks. Not that Ronon still wore his dreads. The woman was small and delicate, with large dark eyes and dark hair and a number of tattoos on her neck and hands. Behind her sat four men; all of them sporting the tattooed insignia Elizabeth had come to know on their necks. If Ella was the epitome of small delicacy, they were the epitome of large and intimidating. Short: they resembled most of the other Satedan men Elizabeth had ever met.

Stepping out behind the men and Farna, Elizabeth walked up to Ella and slightly inclined her head. "You wished to see me?" she began; tired of being manipulated and tested.

Ella smiled slightly as she stood up. She reminded Elizabeth of Sitnalta, only darker. "I am surprised they allowed you off Lantea in your condition," she said as she indicated Elizabeth's slightly rounded belly.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, annoyed. She had been sure the pregnancy hardly showed when she had left, especially with the BDU's she was wearing. "Ronon was not available," she informed their hostess. "Believe me, the only reason we are here is because of our respect for your brother," she firmly added.

Ella nodded; looking sad. "Yes, I know," she replied. She looked behind her at her team, then at Elizabeth and hers. Then she sighed. "My team and I – well, Jackon and my team, really – wish to join you on Atlantis," she began and Elizabeth wondered which of the men Jackon were. "But first we need to tell you something. Something about the Devil."

_Author's note: At this stage I would like to thank Ella Dex, the writer and not the character, for lending me...well...Ella Dex. Reading her story I really loved the character she created to be Ronon's sister and she was graceful enough to allow me to use her. Though I will only use the basic character, anyone that wants to read where I got her can, look up Ella Dex on Fanfiction. The moment where Ronon and Ella meet for the first time in years is really a powerful moment, worth reading. Thanks again, Ella!_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_About seven months ago..._

From the outside the small house looked sad and broken. Yet, even though the wind had blown a number of sweet and chips wrappers into the corners of the small piece of pavement serving as a front yard, it was obvious someone had tried to make the dilapidated brick building as neat as possible. On a street where most houses were shrouded in darkness and obviously dirty, this house seemed out of place with its neat light over the front door and bright curtains in the windows.

"Is this the place?" Jennifer asked. Like the rest of them, she stood with head bowed and shoulders pulled up in an effort to keep the wind and rain off. It was a futile gesture, as they were soaked through, yet it seemed impossible to walk any other way.

"Well, according to the thingy from the jumper, this is where we want to be," Chuck informed them.

"Look, we know some of what happened here: it really isn't her fault," Laura found herself defending the sorry little house. Then she glared at Chuck. "The 'thingy' is called a LSR," she loftily informed him and he scowled back.

"I rather liked 'Life Signs Detector' better, to be honest," he shot back at her.

"Oh, I'm sure you preferred LS..." Laura began.

"Children, please!" Jennifer interrupted them and they both spared a moment to glare at her. Of the group she was the most obviously youngest. She was at least ten years younger than Laura and thirteen years Lorne's junior, yet she stood in the rain with her shoulders back and glared at the other two as if they were indeed the children she accused them of being. In fact, next to her Laura actually saw Chuck hang his head before he realised the absurdity of the situation. Jennifer shook her head in dismay. "Really," she mumbled as she leaned forward and rang the bell next to the dark green door.

"She started it!" Chuck defended himself just as the door was opened a crack; letting yellow light out to pool around their feet.

"Can I help you?" the lady on the other side asked of them in her thick Scottish brogue. She was perhaps one of the shortest people Laura had ever seen and seemed to be the picture of the perfect sweet little lady. She had short strawberry-blonde hair and an old fashioned large-framed pair of glasses perched on her nose. Her face betrayed her age, yet her voice had been strong and melodious. Though she seemed incredibly sweet, both Laura and Jennifer knew the old lady had a core of steel. Now those steely blue eyes, the only betrayal of that steely core, glared at the three bedraggled people standing on her doorstep. "I must say, you really are a sorry-looking lot," she informed them and Laura nearly laughed at the way she had said it. If there had been any doubt that they had come to the right place, it was now gone.

"Mrs Beckett," Jennifer spoke; seeing as she was the one that had rung the bell and was thus closest to the door. "We are friends of D...Carson," she introduced them. "I'm Jennifer Keller, a colleague of your son," she continued. She indicated the two with her. "This is Laura Cadman and Chuck Campbell."

At Carson's name the old lady brightened considerably. She seemed not to have noticed Jennifer's near-slip of the tongue. She instantly stood back and opened the door all the way. "Why, don't just stand there in the cold," she informed them. "Come in, come in."

Without having to be told twice the three Atlanteans stepped inside. The night outside was cold and wet, yet inside the air was warm and a smell of cinnamon and chocolate assaulted their senses. When they started to protest about sitting down because of their wet clothes, the old lady merely smiled and told them to sit anyway. "It's not like you can really harm the couches, you know. I've Scotch-guarded them," she proudly informed them. Without further protest they sat down on the old, faded couch. The room was as old and faded and _poor_ as the outside had suggested, yet everything seemed to be spotlessly clean and Laura knew that Mrs Beckett might have fallen on hard times, but she had not allowed the hard times to rule her life. Though she was poor, she was proud of her home.

Before any of them could explain their late-night visit, Mrs Beckett scurried away, only to serve them each with a steaming cup of hot chocolate and small, chocolate-dipped shortbread biscuits which she had made herself. Finally, after having fussed about them and having offered blankets for the cold and towels to dry off with, she took a seat on an equally faded chair that did not match the couch.

"Too bad you dropped by so late," she smiled at them over her cup of chocolate. "I would have saved some dinner if I had known," she added and Laura smiled. "Now, how may I help you?" she finally asked.

Laura leaned slightly forward, indicating she would speak first. "Mrs Beckett, we're all colleagues of Carson," she began, but the lady interrupted.

"You mean you're all part of that highly secret work my son's been doing?" she asked with a slight frown. From the start everyone going to Atlantis had been required to sign a confidentiality agreement, as no-one was to know about the existence of either Atlantis or the Stargate program. Only now, with Atlantis about to be stolen from the SGC, has Doctor Weir given everyone permission to tell their families – discreetly – about it. Well, Laura supposed that Doctor Weir didn't really have the authority to grant them this dispensation, but seeing as they were all planning on stealing the most valuable find in the history of the earth, it was enough for Laura.

"Yes, ma'am," Laura mildly answered. "And in the time I've known your son, I've fallen in love with him," she admitted. "In fact, we are planning on leaving together," she cryptically added.

"Ma'am," Jennifer now added on cue. The jumper ride had taken only a few minutes, but they had taken the time to discuss a way of telling Mrs Beckett the entire, weird tale. "I, too, have come to know your son very well and we plan to leave together as well," she said, obviously confusing the woman but ensuring her complete attention.

"Well now, I'm quite sure my son would not run away with two women at once," Mrs Beckett angrily replied. "Just what are you two lasses up to?" she demanded and Laura and Jennifer smiled.

"Mrs Beckett, I am in love with Carson," Laura informed her.

"And I am in love with your other son, Duncan," Jennifer told her.

The old lady scowled at Jennifer. "I think I would recall raising a second son," she loftily told the young woman. She started to get up and Laura knew she intended to throw them out. But in the end it was Chuck that saved the day.

"Mrs Beckett," he softly spoke. "These two tend to get carried away with their own cleverness," he informed Mrs Beckett and Laura had to suppress a scowl. "But the truth is, ma'am, that they really are telling the truth. You see, five years ago a group of people including Carson set out on a journey beyond anything you could ever imagine," he began. Silently the old lady sat down as Chuck began the tale of the intrepid explorers setting off for the Pegasus galaxy and how it had changed all their lives. When he came to the part where Michael, the changed Wraith, cloned Carson, Mrs Beckett made them some more chocolate. Laura noticed she had been crying in the kitchen, but was trying to hide it. Yet still she listened as Chuck told her how the Wraith had built their own super-hive ship and how they had chased it back to earth. Finally Chuck told her about the IOA not allowing Duncan to reveal himself and how they all decided they were going back to the Pegasus galaxy. To Laura, who had lived through most of the tale, the story was still as peculiar as it must seem to Mrs Beckett.

Finally Chuck finished and a stunned silence fell over the room. Laura and Jennifer had placed their hopes upon convincing Mrs Beckett to join them in the Pegasus galaxy. The truth was that when Carson and Duncan left, the only family she had would leave as well, even if she was unaware of the fact. When Carson had been but a few months old, his father had suddenly died, leaving his wife and son without obvious means of support. Fortunately an uncle had taken them in and Carson had grown up in a household of cousins. He only got to study medicine because his bursary was big enough to cover all of his studies. Soon after the family had told Mrs Beckett she had to move and Carson had been supporting her ever since. Yet, though her son could keep her in much better accommodation, she was stubborn. It was something the Scottish were apparently very good at and the result was that the woman refused to take a cent from her son, as she believed he should not be responsible for his old mom, but instead save the money for his own family.

Finally Mrs Beckett sighed. "You really expect me to believe all of this?" she finally asked, but Laura could see the truth in her eyes.

"It is the truth, ma'am," Jennifer softly replied.

Silence reigned. Then: "Why've you told me this?" Mrs Beckett finally asked of them.

"Mrs Beckett, we want you to come with us to Atlantis," Laura said as she leaned slightly forwards. "Come meet your other son and then join us on the adventure of a lifetime."

For a moment Mrs Beckett merely looked at the three of them, her blue eyes in shadow. "I'm too old for an adventure of a lifetime," she finally told them. "But I would like to see my sons one last time."

"Why?" Jennifer asked of the grandmotherly woman. "Why would you stay?"

"My dear, this is my home," she replied and Jennifer shook her head slightly.

"Your sons are your home," she gently told the old woman. "We will bring the jumper and you can take anything from here you want."

"It is not that, my dear," Mrs Beckett began, but once more Jennifer shook her head. She got up and went to kneel in front of Mrs Beckett; taking both her hands in hers.

"My mother died when I was young. Laura's mother died not so long ago. Neither one has any other family that we can ask to join us on Atlantis," she informed the older woman. "But we're asking you," she added and now Laura saw the old woman could not suppress her tears. After a while she smiled though.

"Can Rufus come?" she finally asked Jennifer, who frowned.

"Rufus?"

"Yes, love, Rufus. You've almost been sitting on him the entire night," Mrs Beckett replied.

Jennifer looked back to the weird-smelling couch the three of them had been sitting on and her eyes widened. Following her gaze, Laura realised the reason the couch smelled peculiar was because wedged into the corner where Jennifer sat, the oldest, scruffiest cat she had ever seen lay sleeping.

Chuck sighed. "We're going to need a vet on Atlantis. A good one."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Jennifer frowned as she looked at the results of the scan. Leaning slightly forward, she adjusted the monitor and another set of results appeared on the screen. After another few minutes of futile adjustments and looking at the displays, Jennifer knew she had found the cause for her mother-in-law's illness. She just really really wished she hadn't. She also knew how dire the prognosis was. Nevertheless she went through the entire procedure of mentally listing every possible treatment and assessing them. Unfortunately she was also aware of how little any of the conventional procedures could help. Perhaps if they had discovered this weeks ago, but by now Mother Beckett was just too ill for them to really do anything.

Okay, she thought as she sat down on one of the horrible little stools scattered throughout the infirmary. Though her pregnancy was not that advanced yet, she was beginning to show and the continued morning sickness was making her tired. Part of her marvelled at the idea of a small little life inside her (a positive kind of life that had nothing to do with either the Goa'uld or some freaky Wraith spore), but another part of her really wished the child would be born and she could get on with her life. She knew most of the women felt that way. Most of the women that had joined the Atlantis expedition – while it had still been an official expedition – had been aware of the fact that for a while they would have to put off the idea of a family. All these pregnancies had come as a surprise. The only one who seemed to flap about it was Sitnalta. The young blonde was completely ecstatic about being pregnant. Jennifer wasn't exactly sure why, though.

Okay, she repeated as she collected her thoughts and once more concentrated on Mother Beckett. The old lady must have known for a while she was sick. That was probably why she had not wanted to join Atlantis in the first place. But she had and in the end she had become a valuable asset to the city. With a grace only rivalled by her steely determination she had taken over the running of the mess hall. Only, under her rule it was no longer called the 'mess hall', but had been upgraded to the dining hall with adjacent kitchen. On most days breakfast was served on the large balcony and this Mother Beckett insisted on calling the 'breakfast aquarium'. And Jennifer had to agree that eating outside with only the shield between them and the ocean was extraordinarily beautiful. At first some people had been slightly apprehensive of eating in such a manner, but as mother Beckett had pointed out to them: there really was no difference between being submerged within the city's interior or outside on the balcony. Either way you were dead should the shields fail. Sometimes the old lady had very little tact. But everyone ate outside and was happy about it.

But she must have known about this, Jennifer silently repeated. She would have been experiencing some odd symptoms for a while now and her passing out at the wedding must have been only the latest symptom. Damn, why had she been so stubborn? Why hadn't she listened when they had explained to her how sophisticated their medical technology was? Now it was probably too late to save her. Damn damn damn. If only she wasn't so tired, perhaps she could think of some unconventional means of saving Mother Beckett. But the knowledge that she was first going to have to break this news to the Becketts was looming at the front of her mind like a mountain.

Well, there was no use in putting it off any longer. She had to tell them as soon as possible. Perhaps then they could think of something together. She could almost feel there was an answer lurking in the back of her mind; she just couldn't grab hold of it.

Okay, she needed to tell the Becketts – and probably Laura – as soon as possible. But it would seem rude to call them on the radio. Fortunately one of the other doctors were officially on duty at the moment – both Becketts and Jennifer devoted all their attention to finding what was wrong with Mother Beckett. Well, now she had.

Hopping off the stool, she quickly informed the other doctor that she was leaving, but would return soon. The man nodded and Jennifer went to fetch the Becketts. There would probably be only two places the men could be: either asleep or eating. At first Elizabeth had asked one of them to report to her at least twice a day about the patient's progress, but that duty had soon been delegated to Jennifer. Therefore the men would not be found in Weir's office. And they really wouldn't be anywhere else.

As Jennifer headed towards the dining hall first, she quickly contacted Laura. If she was going to deliver this news to her brother-in-law, she was only going to do it with his wife close by his side.

"Laura, are you with Carson?" she asked as soon as she got her sister-in-law on the radio.

_No, I'm in one of the ZPM rooms with Sitnalta_, she answered. Ironically, Laura's expertise with explosives came in very handy in working with the ZPM's. Not that the powerful batteries that ran the city was dangerous, but much of the principles of working with bombs were used in making the new ZPM's. So the blonde had been rotated into shifts in the ZPM teams. Jennifer knew she couldn't wait to get off-world again soon, though. _Why?_ Laura added.

"Could you go get him and meet me in the infirmary as soon as possible?" Jennifer told her.

_You've discovered what's wrong with Mother Beckett?_

"Yes," she curtly replied. No matter how much she loved the other woman, she was not about to inform her first. Yes, both she and Jennifer thought about Mother Beckett as their own mother and each other as sisters. But in the end she was the Becketts mother first.

The line was silent for a while. Then: _that bad, huh?_

Jennifer sighed. This was the problem with working with intelligent people: they were far too clever for their own good. "I'll tell you when Duncan and I get there. Oh," she added as another thought occurred to her. "Perhaps you could inform Elizabeth about it? Get her to meet us there in a while?"

_Weir's not on Atlantis,_ Laura replied. _She's off-world somewhere._

Jennifer thought about that for a moment. "Colonel Sheppard's not going to like it," she said as she ran up the flight of stairs that led to the level their rooms were on. "When's SGA-1 due back?"

_Within the hour, _Laura responded.

The conversation ended just then as Jennifer entered Duncan and her room. As she had thought, her husband was asleep.

"Duncan?" she softly said as she touched his shoulder. Instantly her rolled over to look at her; fear in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" he demanded of her.

"Get dressed and come to the infirmary, okay?" she tried to tell him a gently as possible. But she could see her evasive answer only frightened him. "I needed a cup of coffee, so I thought I might as well come and fetch you myself," she quickly lied to him. Well, the dining hall was on her way so she would just have to go get a cup. "Can I get you one as well?" she asked. Duncan was already pulling on his pants.

He looked at her slightly sheepishly. Then he walked over and took her face between his hands and lightly kissed her on the forehead. "No, love. I'll be fine. I'll meet you there in a minute, okay?" he said as he stared intently at her. But she had been a doctor long enough not to let anything of her own worry show on her face. She touched one of his hands with her own.

"I'll see you there," she told him. Then she quickly left before she gave in to the urge to tell him everything.

In the end Jennifer arrived only moments before the rest of her peculiar family.

"Um, I've discovered what's wrong with Mother Beckett," she told them without hesitation. She knew for both the Becketts it would be easier to know the diagnosis as soon as possible. She turned on the latest scan of Mother Beckett and enlarged the part of the scan that showed her head. Carefully she enlarged it further until the small abnormality in the brain was visible. There, tucked between the cerebellum and the bottom of the thalamus was a small spot of matter that did not belong.

As she had, both Becketts immediately started asking her the same question:

"Cancer?" Looking at one another, Carson indicated Duncan should be the one to continue.

"Cancer?" he repeated. "How could we have missed that? We should've seen some changes in her blood work or..."

Jennifer shook her head. She, too, had first thought it was a small tumor. But after she had examined it closer and had done a visual check of Mother Beckett, she had realised the answer lay somewhere else.

"It's not cancer," she told them. "It's a hematoma, caused by an injury to the skull," she informed them. The two men leaned forward.

"But there?" Carson asked as he indicated the strange place for such a hematoma. "And when could she have injured herself like this? We would've known if she fell." He hopefully added. But Jennifer only placed her hand on his shoulder. She was looking at both men, though.

"It's an old injury, probably sustained while we've been in the Pegasus Galaxy."

"But..."

"How long has she been living alone now?" Jennifer interrupted Carson as he still battled with disbelief. Duncan, she could see, was just as shocked. But circumstances had taught him to accept the worst much quicker than did Carson.

"Too long," he now softly answered. He looked at the scans and Jennifer once more adjusted the screen. Now they could see the scans of Mother Beckett of the day she came to Atlantis next to that of the scan they had just perused. The small spot was visible on both, if just, and now Jennifer pointed at the enlarged image.

"I think it had been forming very slowly for at least half a year," she told them. Though the mass was on both images, the difference was minute. But in the months since Mother Beckett had come to Atlantis the hematoma had grown just enough to now be causing such severe symptoms.

"Can you operate?" Laura interrupted. She had her arms around Carson.

It was not necessary for Jennifer to answer this time. The two sons knew.

"No," Carson answered his wife. "There's nothing we can do."

_Author's Note: I'm not a doctor, sorry. If you find the illness too improbable – and have some medical experience to back it up – let me know. I'll see what I can do about it. DPB_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_About seven months ago..._

The jumper banked as it neared the cloaked city. Mrs Beckett gripped the consol in front of her in expectation of inertia, but because of the inertial control of the puddle jumper the only way one knew one was moving was by looking out the front screen. Then, suddenly, they passed through the cloak and Atlantis was revealed. The old lady gasped as the city was suddenly revealed and Laura smiled. Chuck was flying the jumper and she and Jennifer were seated in the rear seats. All three of those from Atlantis had been with the city for more than four years and Laura had to admit she had forgotten how impressive it had been at first sight. She relived those moments now through the eyes of Mrs Beckett.

"And you're telling me this thing can fly through space?" she now asked them.

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck answered with a smile. His parents had opted to remain on earth with his two sisters. He had not told them about Atlantis as such, but instead had informed them he was immigrating to a place where he could never return from. He had then told his entire family they were welcome to join him and that the place he was going to would be the opportunity of a lifetime. Laura suspected he had known from the start they would not leave their large mansion for an unknown future (that part had been a shock; realising Chuck Campbell was one of the richest men she would ever meet), that was why he had not told them the specifics of where he was going. They had also not seemed inclined to believe he would not return. Those who were leaving with Atlantis who had not told their families the truth would at least have the comfort of knowing either General O'Neill or Colonel Carter would go around and inform the families personally that their sons and daughters, brothers and sisters were lost somewhere and would not be returning. It was a small comfort, but it was all they had. Laura's own father would receive just such a visit. In fact, too many families would be getting a visit from O'Neill or Carter. At least she and Jennifer would not be asked to join any of those conversations as they had been asked to join Chuck.

"In fact, we'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon," Jennifer added.

"And it's the Atlantis of legend?" the old lady asked as they jumper descended through the open sky roof in the jumper bay.

"Yes, Mrs Beckett. When we found it, it was still submerged," Laura added.

Without taking her eyes off the screen the woman asked: "How long's it been under water then?"

This time Laura and Jennifer exchanged a glance. Then Laura shrugged. "We're not sure. Tens of thousands of years, possibly," she said. Someday she would have to ask McKay if they had ever figured out exactly how long the city had been submerged. But that was easier said than done: McKay still avoided her if he could, even after all these years.

"And Carson's been living here since 2005?" the woman continued as the puddle jumper doors slid open. Laura had told her all of this already, but somehow the woman seemed only able to believe it as soon as she sees it. Laura knew it was not because she was being difficult. In truth Laura could remember all the questions she had had years ago when she had first joined the Atlantis expedition.

"He's been the resident doctor from the beginning," Jennifer answered this time.

This time the woman turned to look at her three escorts. By now they were on their way to the infirmary. The hallways they were traversing were deserted, but that was the idea. As soon as they had landed, Chuck had taken the Life Signs Detector from the jumper and was steering them clear of all traffic. It would be disastrous if they should run into one of the earth scientists – as they had started to refer to those who would not be leaving with Atlantis.

"And you're planning on stealing all of this?" Mrs Beckett asked with a glint in her eyes. Without saying a word the three younger people merely smiled. "Aye, it seems you are," the old woman answered her own question before allowing Chuck to lead the way once more.

After only a few short detours the small group arrived at the infirmary. Chuck slipped in first to confirm the blips on the screen were friendlies before signing for them to come in. As it turned out only Carson was in the infirmary with the sick Sitnalta, but on their way over Jennifer had asked Duncan to meet them here. Knowing him and his fondness for Jennifer, he'd be here within moments.

At the sound of feet Carson turned around, smiling. His smile froze, though, when he saw his mother standing between Laura and Jennifer.

"Mum," he merely stated. Since their return to earth a few months ago, Carson had not been to see his mother. He felt it would be unfair towards Duncan if only the one got to see her and not the other. She understood his reasoning, even if Duncan had insisted he go see their mother. Their joint reason for not inviting her to join them now that they were permanently leaving was another matter entirely that Laura planned on discussing with him later on – in great detail.

At his shocked expression Mrs Beckett frowned and Laura realised the old lady would not know which Beckett this was. None of them had told her about the tattoos and she would not know yet how to recognize the subtle differences between the two men. She had only ever known Carson, after all.

"Carson," Laura said for the old lady's benefit and went over towards him to quickly kiss his cheek. But turning back to look at Mrs Beckett, she realised the frown had not disappeared. In fact, by now the woman was standing with her hands on her hips and she was glaring at Carson. Suddenly Laura wondered if any of this had been a good idea.

"Carson Beckett," his mother addressed him in the same soft accent as he had. "What is that on your face?" she demanded. Behind her, where only Carson and Laura could see, Duncan entered the infirmary. Shock clouded his features.

"Mum?" he hesitantly asked. But then he must have realised what he had said and he held up his hands. "I mean, I know I'm not your son, but what are you doing here?" he quickly added and Laura could see his sadness reflected in Jennifer's face. Duncan's lover was perhaps the most empathic person Laura had ever met and she knew the young doctor often worried about Duncan and the fact that he was in some ways not a true person. He knew that Carson was the real he, as he once put it, and he wasn't going to try and take over the other's life. Laura wondered if any of it will change once they have left earth and he – with the rest of them – would be starting a new life.

Mrs Beckett spun around on her heel. Then she threw her hands in the air. "Bloody hell, you've got one as well!" she exclaimed.

Laura grinned as she suddenly realised that with those few simple words Mrs Beckett had both Becketts uncomfortable.

"Mum, we got them so nobody would confuse us anymore," Carson tried to save the day by way of an explanation. The tattooed gate symbol was still healing and looked slightly scabby at the moment, almost like snake skin. With a quick left Mrs Beckett reached up and smacked him behind the head. By the sound of it, it could not have hurt, but Carson frowned. "Mum, please," he told her as he rubbed the back of his head. Duncan, on the other hand, stood sniggering. With an equally quick right arm the old lady smacked the other Beckett behind the head.

"Don't think you can stand there and think you're not my son," she loftily informed him. And then, suddenly, she burst out in tears. "You would really have left here without letting me meet my other son?" she asked through her tears.

"But I'm not your son," Duncan told her. His tattoo of the Pegasus was equally scabby-looking.

Mrs Beckett would have none of it, though. With a slight sob she took Duncan's face between her hands and glared up at him. Neither Beckett was very tall, but they were giants next to their mother. "I'll have none of that nonsense, you hear?" she told him. "Your lovely girl and her friends told me all about it, and as far as I'm concerned you are as much my son as Carson."

With a look of confusion and sorrow and something Laura couldn't identify, Duncan leaned over and hugged his short mother. But after a moment she pushed him away. "What made you decide to call yourself 'Duncan'?" she demanded.

This time everyone in the infirmary looked uncomfortable. The choosing of the name had been a bit of a team effort and none of them were innocent.

"Um, Highlander," Chuck finally answered. Mrs Beckett glared at him.

"What highlander?"

"No, Mum, _the_ Highlander. As in: 'I'm Duncan McLeod of the clan McLeod' and all that," Carson explained. His mother glared at him.

"You mean to tell me your brother named himself after a McLeod?" she asked. At first Carson looked hurt, but then he smiled.

"Aye, I guess he had," he grinned and Duncan groaned.

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing I'll be joining you when you steal this lovely city," she informed them. As both Carson and Duncan looked slightly confused, the three who had brought the lady decided it was time to leave. As they neared the door Mrs Beckett called them back:

"Laura, Jennifer, Chuck...thank you," she smiled as they turned to look at her. Impulsively Jennifer rushed forward and embraced the woman.

"We wouldn't have it any other way," she whispered just loud enough for Laura to head. "We really love your sons," she told her, before stepping back and grinning. "Well, besides Chuck. He's just a friend," she added and Chuck blushed.

"Uhem," Chuck cleared his throat. "We'll go fetch your stuff from the jumper and then the two women will take you to where the rest of the new arrivals are hiding out," he informed them with as much dignity as possible. The rest of them merely grinned.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Giving in to the inevitable, Elizabeth sat down on the rock next to Ella. Around them their bodyguards spread out while trying to keep an eye on both women as well as each other. Elizabeth ignored them. As far as she could see both entourages were suspicious for no good reason. The Atlanteans were careful, because they would not allow anything to happen to their Commander's wife and the Satedans were careful, because it seemed they had been betrayed once before.

"It had seemed like such a good idea when the Devil had spoken of it first," Ella was telling her tale. Though Elizabeth was listening carefully, she did spare some part of her mind to consider the young woman. She was very pretty and even among the peculiar people Elizabeth had met these past few years she seemed exotic. She had large almond shaped eyes and full lips. Her hair was a soft shade of brown, but tangled into dreads. Her dress was obviously that of a warrior and covered her from chin to toe. Her arms were bare, though, and very slender. On her hip, like all the rest of her team, she wore one of those guns Ronon had and that she had given Elizabeth. Strapped to her back was a huge sword.

"All of you knew the Devil?" Elizabeth asked. Some people would merely tell a tale, but some needed some prompting. Ella seemed like one of those who needed a hand. This didn't appear to be a vanity thing, but because the tale itself seemed to upset her.

"Yes, we all know him," she corrected. Then she indicated one of the men. "Jackon used to be on his team," she added and Elizabeth took a moment to glance at the man. At this moment he wasn't a threat and Elizabeth turned her attention back to Ella. "The idea was to find a safe place to evacuate to before the Wraith came."

"Wait, the Devil is Satedan?" Elizabeth interrupted as everything Ella had said suddenly fell into place. The cryptic message from the future O'Neill had given them had only mentioned 'the Devil'. Up to now they had assumed it was someone from a race they had not encountered before. Why else call him that if they had not known who he was?

"We're all Satedan," Ella answered with a frown. Obviously she did not understand Elizabeth's confusion. But the young woman shook her head. "But Ronon would not believe him. See, Ronon knew him from before. A few years before the Devil warned us the Wraith were coming, Ronon's friend, Melena, was raped," she continued. Elizabeth knew some of the story of Ronon's life on Sateda, but he had never mentioned something like this. "The man was one of the Devils' men and so nothing came of it. The Devil self covered it up."

"I can't imagine Ronon would leave something like this just like that," Elizabeth frowned. Ronon had a very strong sense of justice – it was also a very permanent sort of justice. The young woman shook her head and dreads flew around her head.

"He didn't. But by that time he no longer trusted the Devil and he asked to be assigned to another squad. He wanted me to go with him, but in spite of everything I believed it was a good idea to join the Forty." Shame as well as anger warred for dominance on her face and in the end Ella merely sighed. "I was much younger then."

Elizabeth wanted to smile at the statement. The girl could not be much older than twenty-five. But then something she had said occurred to Elizabeth.

"The Devil is the one who sent the Forty to find a place of safety?" she asked; frowning. If these people knew the man, then perhaps they could avert the catastrophe that seemed to loom over Atlantis.

Ella frowned. "He's the leader of the Forty, Draven Navac," she replied. "I thought you understood that?"

Elizabeth drew a deep breath and looked back at her team. She knew what they must be thinking and she wished she did not need to ask the question that burned in her mind. But this was SGA-2. They would not easily interrupt her conversation – unlike the entire SGA-1. She looked back at Ella.

"We didn't know," she told her. "Ronon never mentioned it," she gently tried to get to the bottom of things. She really liked Ronon, but she really hoped he had not purposely kept something as important as this from her and the rest of Atlantis.

Once more Ella shook her head and a dreadlock nearly hit Elizabeth in the face. The young woman seemed to do everything to the extreme. "Ronon? No, he wouldn't have known," she replied and mentally Elizabeth sighed. "We named him 'the Devil' after he blew up an entire Wraith ship." Ella looked away for a moment. "But a while back we discovered he was working for somebody else, someone beyond the Satedan people." She looked back at Elizabeth. "This person had warned the Devil that the Wraith was coming, but had told him it would be at least a year before they arrived. But just after the Forty left, the Wraith attacked. Some of us had confronted the Devil about it, but he remains loyal to this person. He says he isn't, but I remember the story Ronon told me about Melena. And Jackon told us Draven would sometimes disappear through the stargate for a few hours without telling them where he was going."

Elizabeth considered this. She knew how important it was for a team to trust their leader and if one of Draven's own team left him, she needed to take note of that. But then again, Jackon might have said that for his own reasons – reasons she could not trust. It seemed, either way, as if Draven Navac was not to be trusted.

"Doctor Weir," Lorne suddenly drew her attention.

"Yes, Major," she said as she looked around at him. He looked apprehensive.

"The LSR has picked up a number of life signs headed this way," he informed her.

"You were told to come alone!" Ella angrily yelled as she leapt up. Her gun had appeared in her hand and she was backing up towards her group of Satedans. With deliberate care she aimed her gun at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth also stood up, but she merely frowned at the young woman. She was sure Ella was definitely leaving something out of her tale if she was this skittish. "I'm as surprised as you are that we've picked up life signs," she informed Ella. The rest of Ella's team trained their weapons on SGA-2.

"I knew this was a bad idea," she spat. Lorne tried to step in front of Elizabeth, but she held up her hand to hold him off. Fortunately he heeded her command. She knew one mistake now could result in someone getting hurt or killed.

"I will trust you that you didn't invite someone to ambush us if you can trust me the same way," she seriously told Ella. For a very long minute the two women merely stood staring at one another. Then Ella nodded and immediately her team retrained their weapons. This time they were pointed in the direction of the approaching blips. After glancing at Elizabeth, Lorne turned his weapon in the same direction and the rest of SGA-2 and Chuck followed suit. Elizabeth glanced down at the weapon she held in her hand and for a moment she was tempted to raise it along with all the rest of the people. But then she lowered it so it hung by her side. It was neither vanity nor any sense of righteousness that made her lower it: she had no idea how to use it and would probably just end up shooting the wrong person. She would have to make a point of it to learn. Once she might have thought most differences could be solved with negotiations. Not anymore.

In the end it was she that first spotted the group of people approaching. "It's okay," she told the nervous soldiers around her. "It's John and his team," she informed them.

Once more Lorne glanced sideways at her, but she ignored him. Let him think what he will. She did look over towards Ella. "Ronon is with them," she told the young woman. She frowned when Ella suddenly looked nervous, though. "What's wrong?" she asked. Life in the Pegasus Galaxy was a great adventure, but it had also been a great teacher. Elizabeth immediately suspected Ella had withheld some vital part of information of that perhaps she was not, in fact, Ronon's sister. But the way Ella suddenly started fidgeting with her hair and clothes made her smile, instead. "How long has it been since you've seen him?"

Ella scowled – an expression that reminded her of Ronon. "Since before the Satedan world was destroyed," she answered. Elizabeth calculated it must be almost twelve years. Obviously the girl looked younger than she appeared, for nobody would take a fourteen year old girl into battle.

Within a minute SGA-1 reached them with John in the front. Elizabeth had known he would not be impressed by her leaving Atlantis and she was ready for any signs of anger from him. But he surprised her by walking up to her and, with an expression of concern, took her in his arms. Silently they embraced for a few moments before stepping back and looking at one another. Elizabeth lowered her chin slightly as she tried to access her husband. "I thought you'd be angry with me," she softly told him. He glared at her, but after a moment he inclined his head to one side. As she followed his gaze she saw Ronon and Ella silently standing cross from one another.

"I guess I would have done the same thing," John replied. He stood close beside her and finally his eyes fell on the weapon she was holding. He peered at her as he whispered: "You don't suppose I could..."

She glanced at the gun in her hand. Then she sweetly leaned over and whispered back: "Yeah, I suppose you could teach me how to shoot this thing."

"I have two more crates I wish to give to the people of Atlantis," Ella finally spoke. "In return my team and I request permission to join you in the city of the ancestors." Though she was referring to the weapon in Elizabeth's hand, she was still looking at Ronon. Though by all appearances that sentence seemed to be a _non sequitor_, Elizabeth realised she understood where it had come from. Ronon could be very intimidating and Ella must wonder if he would not simply refuse to allow her to come to Atlantis. The gift of the weapons was an awkward attempt at bribing Elizabeth and the rest of those who might overrule her brother.

By now the rest of SGA-1 and SGA-2 had gathered around Elizabeth and John while warily looking at Ronon and Ella.

"You left," Ronon said; completely ignoring the guns and the bribe and Elizabeth knew she would not push the issue if he refused Ella permission. At that moment, though she liked the wild young woman, Elizabeth's loyalty lay with Ronon. That did not mean that, should he not have a good reason to show Ella away, she would not at least speak to Ronon about it in private later. She would probably get John to speak to him about letting his sister join Atlantis as well. And probably Teyla. The two of them, Ronon and Teyla, were quite obviously in love even if both of them were working hard at trying to deny it. in fact, in many ways they reminded her of her own relationship with John before they had settled their differences.

"And you stayed," Ella answered, making Elizabeth wonder if perhaps they hadn't had a fight about this before Ella had left with the Forty. It seemed like something these two people would fight about.

"I thought I would never see you again," Ronon said and Elizabeth could hear a tightness in his voice she had never heard before. She recognised it, though, as a deep emotion he tried to keep from surfacing. Whether they had fought twelve years ago no longer seemed to matter and she could just imagine the loneliness and heartache Ronon must have suffered. The Wraith had attacked Sateda before the Forty could return and for long he had believed he was the only one that had survived the attack. When he had heard that at least three hundred of his people had survived, he must have realised at least some of the Forty would be alive as well and he had probably been quietly hoping of seeing his sister again one day. No wonder he was emotional.

"And for years I thought you were dead," she shot back. Her voice was level, but from where she stood, Elizabeth could see the woman's face while Ronon's back was turned towards her. Ella seemed on the verge of tears. And then, suddenly, Ronon stepped forward and embraced his sister. With some surprise on her face Ella wrapped her arms around her brother and now Ronon had her off her feet and was swinging her around in a circle. When he finally put her down she staggered slightly, but he steadied her. His face was beaming with joy, but Elizabeth could see the evidence of tears held back. In the dark of the planet she guessed she was probably the only one to see it.

"John, Teyla, Elizabeth, McKay, this is my little sister!" he proudly exclaimed while he still held her. Elizabeth smiled.

"Yes, we've met," she gently told him. And then everyone suddenly seemed to be talking at once. The Satedans were being introduced and the Lanteans were congratulating Ronon and all around Elizabeth chaos – happy chaos – reigned. Except for one person, she realised as her gaze travelled over the group. Of all the people there it was only Elizabeth and Teyla that stood slightly apart and the other woman had the strangest expression on her face. As she saw Elizabeth looking at her, though, she suddenly smiled and joined the happy group. Elizabeth did not envy her position. It would probably be much easier to deny her feelings for Ronon if Teyla could convince herself he was just a large, angry warrior. But she had noticed Teyla would get that same look on her face whenever Ronon unwittingly revealed his softer side. And somehow Elizabeth suspected there was a deep, emotionally wonderful side to the big warrior. She only hoped they got it sorted out before it caused either one of them too much problems. She needed them both on SGA-1. She also needed to tell them about what Ella had told her earlier. The truth was: she needed them to help her save Atlantis from the fate that loomed less than a two years into the future. And now they knew who the Devil was.


End file.
